Shoe



Apfil 16, 1940. c, DWARDS 2,197,102

1 SHOE Filed Nov. 11, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 16, 1940.

' c. E. EDWARDS SHOE Filed Nov 11. 1937 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 I Patented Apr-" UNITED. STATES A PATENT orrlcs" .Oharles E. Edwards, Beverly; Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington', Jersey N. J., a corporation of New Application November 11, 1937, Serial No. 174,083

'2 cr am. (01'. 36-45) This invention relates to shoes and particularly to shoes having uppers made of fabric inwhole or in part. "While theinvention is illustrated as embodied in a shoe made completely of fabricated '-5 material, for example, of textile andfelted material, it is' to be understood that various im-' upper and a lining member of elastic fabricated material cut ,on a bias to provide elastic portions at thethroat and also along the top marginal portion] of the united upper and lining, a reinforcing memberis provided to serve as aback.- ing for the elastic material at all points where the shoe upper would tend to be distorted while the shoe is being worn, As illustrated, this reinforcing membei yis'locatedj between the upper and liningmembers'andis cut away along its top edge so that it leaves the upper and lining free to stretch along the top edge thereof while the shoe is in use. Preferably, the reinforcing member is o made: of'non-stretchy material and is also substantially cut away at the throat of the shoe. An elastic reinforcing member is secured to the upper and lining' mem'bers in the space thus provided at the throatof the shoe; Furthermore, to insure yet yield to the flexing movements of the foot in walking, anelastic tape member is cemented or Iotherwise secured to theinside' surface of the upper member alongsubstantiallythe whole of its top edge and r'ests'in the space betweenthe upper and liningmembers above said reinforcing member. To contribute materially'to the clas- .fticityfof the top edge portion of the assembled upperandlining members,'the rows of stitches used assecuring means along this edge are made, in part'at least, with an elastic thread so thatthis edge portion of the assembled upper-maylstretch without breaking the thread used in sewing the seamsgr- I I 1 f v "I n the making of the shoe, the lining member is first sewed to the upper by a line'of stitche's'near 'the topedges of the lining member and upper surf'ace'oi' the upper. The lining member is'then the proper elastic effect so that the top edge por tion-of :the shoe upper will closelyhug the foot and 'w hilezthe former is in contact with the outside turned or folded over the top attached edges of the lining and upper members, to the insideiof the upper as a preliminary to the insertion of another line of stitches through the upper memher and the folded over lining member, whereby the lining will appear inside of the assembled shoe upper, thus making a finishedupper edge having a French binding effect. T

These and other important features of the in vention will be described in. detail in the specification andothen pointed out more particularly in theappended claims. I

' In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an upper fabric blank for a shoe; y

Fig; 2 is a plan View of a fabric reinforcement blank. for the same shoe; 7

Fig. 3-is a plan view of a doubler;

Fig. 4 is a planfview of a, lining blank;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the whole upper assembly, after turning but before it has been applied to a last, looking at the inside of such assembled shoe upper;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the assembled upper when viewed from the outside after turn ingjthe outer layer being, partly brokenaway; Fig.7v is' a sectional view through an edge por 'tion 'of the upper assembly before the lining has been turned and top stitched;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along" the line VIII-Q- 5 VIII of Fig. 6; and a r Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the completed shoe.

In the illustrated embodiment of the inven tion, a shoe upper I0 is made of a specialtexa tile fabric, such as Lastex, in which the warp consists of rubber threads, the fabric being cut on a bia'sto provide a blank, such as that shown in Fig.1, which will stretch both transversely andlongitudinally of the completed shoe. For assembly with vtheupper it there is provided a doubler l2 and a lining I4 both made of el'astic fabric similar to that of the upper. There is provided also a non-elastic reinforcing member I6 which is preferably of a special fabric, such as Tufsta, possessing; toa substantial degree the qualities of toughness and flexibility. Thisreinforcing member I6 is cut approximately onehalf inch narrower than the upper and lining blanks so as to have no portion interposed between the upper and lining where these 'members' are united along the upper or top edge of the shoe. By this arrangementthe elasticity of the upper and lining members 10 and l4 areleft undbstrtictedalong said top edge portion of the preferable, however, that this part of the upper and lining should be reinforced by an elastic member 20, the central portion of which is cemented to the upper and to the lining crosswise of the throat portion of the shoe, the ends of the member 28 being cemented to the upper i0 and to the reinforce l6 -which is next to the upper. It is to be understood, however, that the ends of the member 20 may be cemented in between any two of the four members H1, H6, I2, I4, of the assembled shoe upper. There is preferably provided also an elastic reinforcing tape 22 (Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8) which is cemented to the insidesurface of the upper along the upperor top edge thereof in the assembled shoe, the opposite face of the tape 22 being also cemented so that, when the lining is folded over against the tape 22 as a preliminary to a .top stitching operation, the lining and tape will adhere, the tape 22 being thus secured to the lining along its top margin as, well as to the upper 40. As shown, the doubler I2 is provided as a part of the upper assembly, the purpose being to add weight and plumpness to theupper. When said doubler is used, it is also cut away at the throat of the shoe, as in.- dicated at 23 in Fig. 5, to furnish a space for the elastic reinforcing member 29, the cut-away part being not so extensive as in the case of the reinforcing member 56, as will be evident upon comparison of the blanks in Figs. 2 and 3. It

Will be noticed, furthermore, that the blank I2 of the doubler is smaller than the upper and lining blanks l6 and it, since the doubler is not to be secured in place by stitching to the top edges of the upper and lining. However, the blanks of the upper ill, the doubler i2, th e lining l4, and the reinforce 16 have substantially the same overall dimensions, since as parts of the assembled upper they are all secured in overlasted position upon the shoe bottom. In assembling the upper, the reinforcing member I6 is cemented directly to the upper, the doubler I2 is cemented to the reinforcing member l6, and the tape 22 is cemented to the top inside margin upper or top edge thereof, and thus provides an edge to the assembled upper that has the appearance of a French binding.

' Inmaking the illustrated shoe, the upper Ill and the lining M are secured together by two seams 28 and 313, as most clearly shown in Fig. 8. The first seam 2B is for the purpose of securing together the upper Hi and the lining M while the side of the lining which is to be next to the foot is resting on what is to become the outside surface of the upper, although said surface is at the time on the inside due to the fact that, for assembling and stitching operations, both lining and upper havebeenclosed. by separate back seams and then assembled while turned inside.

out. Before insertion of the stitchesg28, .the tape member 22 is secured'to the top marginal portion of the upper It! on what is to be the inside surface of the lattergcement being used to secure the tape in place. .I-Ience the line of stitches 28 will pass through-the lining M, the upper Ill, and'also the tape member. 22.

portions of the lining, upper and tape member,

How cement is applied along "the combined top edge and is spread over at least a portion of the then exposed surface of the tape 22 so that, upon turn-' ing the lining outwardly, it laps over the combined edges just mentioned and is secured there- 'to and to the tape member by the freshly applied cement. The lining is then stitched again to H the upper by the line of sitches 30 (Fig. 8) passing also through the tape member 22, the oper-. ation being known as top stitching and having a 20- binding effect. Followingthisoperation; the-as- 1'. .sembled upper'is turned 'to .put the, lining Hon the inside and the upper Won the outside wherethe result of producing an edge with a French it belongs in the completed shoe. I- 1 Both seamsv 28and 30 are made by using :two

thread. In each case, the upper threadis a nonelastic. cotton thread while the.:lower,.;or bobbin thread, is an elastic thread. In both cases th'e; 1 thread tensions are suc'h that the-,loopsoflthe bobbin thread normally extend about one-qua'r'ter,

elastic thread extend substantially"three-quart ters of the way through the upper materials.v Whenthe upper assembly in the finished shoe is stretched lengthwise of. the seams,the. relatively long loops of thenon-elastic. thread are shortened while at the same time thezrelatively;

short loops-of the elasticthread are lengthened While the upper materials remain in astretched condition the loops of the upper and lower threads should interlock substantially midway between the" inner'andouter surfaces of the asof stitches are thus so formedas' to offer no and making it resistant to stretching. v I

Preferably thev upper it, because of its elastic quality, is cutone size smaller than usual. For

resistance to the stretching of the sewed ma f terials, whereas stitches of I the ordinary types would have the effect .of St fi i e t b 1 example, a size nine upper will serve for a size V ten shoe. In this connection, it isl-to be'notedthat 45 angle to the long axis of the shoe 1 t t throat'portion thereof, that is, vthe,mate'rial cut on the bias so that such materialwillstretch both lengthwise and crosswise of the-shoe at the,

throat, as well as all aroundthe top edge. ,As already stated, the upper I0 is clos'e'dby-,aback:

seam separate from that of the lining back seam g 1 Furthermore, both the upper Ill and the lining as indicated'at 32 inFigsQl and 4,thercby draw-:

to cause the upper'margin of thefinisl ed-shoe to hug the heel and to minimize gappingof'the ,upper away from -thefoot at-eachgsteptof"the threads, an upperthread and .a lower or bobbin due to the stretching ofxthat elastic thread.

.sembled'upper materials." The seams' or lines :4 v v the cutting of the elastic materialfor, an upperil blank it is carried out in such at/faythatth v elastic threads of the material are ;dir'e'cted ate.

ing inthe back seam for about'an 'eighth'ofc an 1 5 inch at the upper end thereof, as'at-tit (;Fig;.-.19=)j,--.

-wearer.; Preferably :also' the lining =blank is a ofnthe :upper soizth'at Itlie:throat.:por tions Of the little shorter :than the corresponding upper blank (Figs.'1'and.4) so/that, when'the rear edges of each partiare'sewed throughout their lengths in :the regular manner and these partssubsequently secured in overlasted position uponthe shoe "bottom; the finished lining is normally a little 'ishorterjfrom toe .to back-seam than the .corre- "sponding upper, with 'the'result that the lining in the finished :shoe hugs the heel with yielding pressure to hold the shoe (inthis case a pump) more securely in place on the foot. In other words, {the elastic "lining tends to minimize slipe ping of the shoe on the heel portion of. the

wearers foot, and to lessen very materially friction between the shoe at the heel portion thereof and the foot of the wearer. .While, as illustrated, the lining blank I4 is cut shorter than thgupper blank II), it will be understood that the'blank's may be the same in length and that Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe, an elastic fabric upper cut on the bias to allow stretching both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, a non-elastic reinforcing member secured with said upper in overlasted position upon the shoe bottom and nearly coextensive therewith to furnish a support or backing for such upper throughout the greater portion of its area, said reinforcing member having a part cut away at the throat of the shoe to leave a space for stretching of the upper both lengthwise and crosswiseof said throat, and an elastic member disposed across said space and secured to the upper tov increase -the elastic effect of the latter at the throat of the shoe.

2. In a shoe, an elastic fabric upper, an elastic fabric lining member united to the upper along their top edges, and a reinforcing .member of non-elastic material interposedbetween the upper and the lining member and secured with upper and" liningmember in overlasted position up on the shoe bottom to furnish backing for the upper throughout the greater part of its area and so constructed and arranged as to leave a space above the level of the said reinforcing member where the top margins of the upper and lining jmember may be secured together with no non-elastic material interposed between them,

whereby the elastic quality of the assembled upfabric lining member united to the upper along their'top edges, and a reinforcing member of non-elastic material interposed between the upper and the lining member and secured with said upper and lining member in overlasted position upon the shoe bottom to furnish backing for the upper and lining member and so constructed and arranged as to leave a space above the level of the said reinforcing member where the top mar-- gins of the upper'and lining member may be secured together with no part of said reinforcing member interposed between them, said reinforcing member being also cut away substantially at the throat above the level of the toe portion upper and lining i'member are "free'to stretch.

under-pressure of the foot, whereby the. top .edge

portions of .the assembled uppertogether with the throat portion thereof may yieldingly engage the foot.

4. In-ashoe, an elastic fabric upper, an elastic fabric liningmember united to the upper along their/top edges, an. elastic tape member secured to said'upper along the top margin-of the latter,

"and a reinforcing member of non-elastic material interposed between the upper. and the lining .members and. secured 'with'the latter to the shoe bottom to furnish backing for the upper throughout the greater part of its area and so constructed and arranged as to leave a space above the level of said reinforcing member at the topmargins of the upper and lining to receive said elastic tape member, said tape member being interposed between the upper and the lining and serving to augment the elastic effect of the assembled upper around the upper edge portions of the latter.

5. In a shoe, an elastic fabric uppenan elastic fabric lining member united to the upper along their top edges, a reinforcing member of nonelastic material interposed between the upper and the lining members and secured with the said members to the shoe bottom to furnish a backing for the upper throughout the greater part of its area and so constructed and arranged as to leave a space above the level of said reinforcing member where the top margins-of the upper and lining member may be secured together with no portion of said reinforcing member interposed between them, whereby said marginal portion of the assembled upper may engage the foot yieldingly,

said reinforcing member having a part cut away for a substantial distance at the throat portion of the upper along their top edges, said upper and lining member being cut on the bias to allow for stretch both lengthwise and crosswise of the shoe where it is not reinforced, a reinforcing ,member of non-elastic material interposed between the upper and the lining members and secured with the said members to the shoe bottom to provide a backing for all parts of the upper which would tend to become distorted due to pressure of the wearers foot and constructed to leave a space at the top margins of the upper and lining for the elastic tape member, said tape member being interposed between the upper and the lining and serving to augment the elastic effect of the assembled upper around the top edge portions of the latter wherebythe foot is yieldingly engaged, said reinforcing member having a part cut away to leavea space at the throat portion of the upper wherein both upper and lining member are free to expand and contract, and an elastic member disposed across saidspace and secured to the upper to increase the elasticeifect thereof while at the same time reinforcing the upper at the cut-away part of the reinforcing member. I Y

7, In a shoe, an upper member and a lining member both of elastic fabric cut on the biasto allow stretching both lengthwise and crosswise of the shoe at the throat thereof, a line of stitches securing the upper and lining members together near their top edges, a second line of stitches passing through the top margins of the upper and through a part of the lining which had been, vfolded over the top edges of the upper and linlining and upper, whereby there is provided an edger'of pleasing appearance which is also sufficiently elastic to retain the shoe comfortably n on the foot,- and a reinforcing member interposed between said upper and lining members and secured with said members to the shoe bottom, said reinforcing member being substantially coextensive with said upper and lining members. below said second line of stitches but having a part cut away below the throat to permit expansion and lining members.

CHARLES EDWARDS. 

